Chris Vanderhook is best known as the co-founder and COO of Viant Technology, the Nasdaq-listed people-based advertising technology company he built alongside his brother Tim Vanderhook. As a foundational architect of Viant's business and technology strategy, Chris has been central to the company's evolution from an early digital media network into a sophisticated programmatic DSP with a proprietary identity infrastructure — positioning Viant as a privacy-forward alternative to cookie-dependent advertising ecosystems. Chris has played a hands-on role in shaping Viant's Household ID and people-based targeting capabilities, which allow advertisers to reach real, authenticated audiences without relying on third-party cookies. Under his operational leadership, Viant has grown its platform to serve major brands and agencies, and the company went public on Nasdaq in 2021. His work has been particularly influential in advancing deterministic identity resolution as a scalable alternative to probabilistic tracking methods in a post-cookie world. Beyond operations, Chris is a recognized voice in the programmatic and identity space, frequently speaking at industry events about the future of addressable advertising, data privacy, and the deprecation of third-party cookies. His career spans over two decades in digital advertising, making him one of the longer-tenured operator-founders in the AdTech ecosystem.
Last updated Jun 11, 2026 by ATDb automated enrichment
- Years in industry
- 22 years
Bio
Chris Vanderhook is best known as the co-founder and COO of Viant Technology, the Nasdaq-listed people-based advertising technology company he built alongside his brother Tim Vanderhook. As a foundational architect of Viant's business and technology strategy, Chris has been central to the company's evolution from an early digital media network into a sophisticated programmatic DSP with a proprietary identity infrastructure — positioning Viant as a privacy-forward alternative to cookie-dependent advertising ecosystems. Chris has played a hands-on role in shaping Viant's Household ID and people-based targeting capabilities, which allow advertisers to reach real, authenticated audiences without relying on third-party cookies. Under his operational leadership, Viant has grown its platform to serve major brands and agencies, and the company went public on Nasdaq in 2021. His work has been particularly influential in advancing deterministic identity resolution as a scalable alternative to probabilistic tracking methods in a post-cookie world. Beyond operations, Chris is a recognized voice in the programmatic and identity space, frequently speaking at industry events about the future of addressable advertising, data privacy, and the deprecation of third-party cookies. His career spans over two decades in digital advertising, making him one of the longer-tenured operator-founders in the AdTech ecosystem.
Career
Co-Founder and COO
Vindico Group · prior to Viant acquisition
Executive
Specific Media · early 2000s-2010s
Board memberships
Expertise & education
Expertise
Education
- University of Southern California
Speaking topics
Recognition
Notable achievements
- Co-founded Viant Technology, which went public on Nasdaq (DSP) in February 2021
- Built Viant's proprietary Household ID identity infrastructure as a cookieless targeting solution
- Helped grow Viant from a digital media network into a full-stack programmatic DSP serving major brands and agencies
- Co-led Viant's acquisition of Xumo and other strategic assets to expand platform capabilities